We Are Not Alone
by iloveromance
Summary: On that fateful Saturday in March of 1984, Allison and Andy realized that they had more in common than just detention. But can their relationship survive peer pressure and the consequences of Andy's locker room prank?
1. Chapter 1

_**Saturday March 24, 1984-Late afternoon/Early Evening**_

Allison Reynolds and her father drove home in silence, but her mind was turning non-stop. It had been the most insane day of her life, but also the best. She held Andrew Clark's wrestling patch in her hand; her fingers running lightly over the soft bumpy threads.

She could hardly believe it had happened. Finally a boy not only noticed her, but kissed her as well. It still felt like a dream.

When she walked into the Shermer High School library at 7am, it was destined to be just another day in detention. After all, it wasn't the first time she'd been sent to Belding's office for doing nothing.

At first, it was awkward being in a room with four kids whom she'd never met before. But then again, that was nothing new. All but 1% of the kids at Shermer High School had no idea who she was. The other 99% either pretended like she wasn't there, or thought she was the most bizarre person they'd ever seen.

But not Andrew. He understood her in a way that no one else did. At first she was angry with him for being so nosy, but he seemed so sincere when he asked her what was wrong, that she had caved.

So it totally freaked her out when he didn't laugh at her or tell her she was just imagining it. God knows she'd that explanation countless times from her shrink.

The car slowed to a stop in front of the ugly, pale green house that Allison had lived in for as long as she could remember. She glanced at her father, almost willing him to yell at her, strangle her... Anything to show some reassurance that he knew he still had a daughter.  
But as usual, none came. Instead her father turned off the ignition and walked silently into the house.

Angrily Allison grabbed her bag and dark coat, and walked into the house... and back into her silent world... alone.


	2. Chapter 2

Andrew Clark looked out the car window, trying like hell to tune out the drone of his old man's voice. He'd heard it all before... The endless chatter about what a screw up he was; how he'll never get a scholarship, and how his locker room prank had somehow managed to ruin his entire future.

Yeah right...

Whatever...

His old man had seemed to have forgotten about when he was Andy's age, and had pulled pranks far worse than what Andy did to Larry Lester. He cringed at the memory. He was just trying to fit in; to make his father happy.

For one brief moment, he'd been a star, and not on the wrestling mats. He could still hear the rousing laughter when his teammates saw what he had done. But as soon as the tape was removed, Andy realized just how much pain he had caused the poor kid. And not just physical pain...

Humiliation. There was no way that Larry was ever going to be able to forget that moment. The physical scars would eventually fade, but the emotional ones would last forever. But Andy hadn't thought about the consequences. All he cared about in that locker room was getting attention.

Unfortunately as soon as the laughter began, he also caught the attention of Coach Wilson... and earned his first trip to Vernon's office.

When Andy arrived home, his mother had freaked; ranting and raving about her son's wasted future. When his father found out, all hell had broken lose. After numerous phone calls to the school, it was decided that his son would remain on the wrestling team, but would serve one day in detention. His old man would rather die than let Andy be kicked off the team.

Deep down, he knew that his father was proud of him; because for once in his life, Andrew Clark had taken a risk.

"You'd better straighten up or you're gonna blow your ride! You got that, Andrew? I expect you to be a winner!" His father was yelling now.

"Crystal." Andy replied, borrowing a line from Bender. "What was that?" His father snapped.  
"Nothin." Andy said, exiting the car and slamming the door behind him. He ignored his father's nagging as they walked into the house. Wrestling season would be over soon and all of this sudden attention from his old man would vanish; only to return when the subject of college scholarships resurfaced.

In the confines of his room, Andy slammed the door and sat down on the blue bedspread. Instinctively he reached for the 1983 Shermer High School yearbook and thumbed through the slick pages until he found her name; Allison Reynolds. His mouth curved into a smile when he looked at the tiny picture. In it, Allison frowned and looked very much like she had this morning.

When he first saw her, he couldn't believe that someone that weird would actually be allowed to attend Shermer High School.

But then something happened... She confided her deepest secrets and was completely honest with him; something that no other girl had ever done before.

Underneath Allison's dark clothing and rebellious attitude was a scared, lonely girl. And Andy's heart went out to her. When she emerged from Claire's makeover...

Wow...

The transformation took his breath away.

He never realized that someone that strange could look so fine. And as they stood on the sidewalk waiting for their parents, he had kissed her. Now he clutched his blue leather jacket, rubbing his fingers where his State Wrestling patch used to be. He'd worked hard to earn that patch and his dad was sure to freak when he found out it was missing. But now Andy just didn't care...


	3. Chapter 3

_**Monday March 26, 1984**_

"Get up, Allison! You'll be late for school!"  
Allison groaned and rolled over in her bed, trying to block out her mother's shrill voice. Another day of school.

Another day of being made fun of.

Another day of being labeled a loser.

Suddenly she remembered Andrew, amazed that she'd forgotten him at all. She'd tossed and turned all night thinking about him. How he'd kissed her on the sidewalk with no explanation given... and none needed.

His lips felt warm on hers and when the kiss ended, he had pulled away and stared into his eyes. It was just how she'd imagined it would be.

She climbed out of bed and looked into the mirror, amazed that she actually cared about her appearance for once in her life.

Now where was that brush?

She rummaged through every drawer in her tiny bathroom until she found it hidden away behind a package of her mother's old hair rollers. Carefully she cleaned the brush with soap and water. No telling what kind of skuzz was lurking around. When it was cleaned to her satisfaction, she shook it dry, laughing as thousands of water droplets splattered onto the bathroom mirror.

Back in her room, she dug into her black bag until she found what she was looking for. There in the hidden storage space was the makeup bag that Claire had given her. She still couldn't figure out why the Prom Queen suddenly started acting like Allison was her best friend. Not only had Claire given her a makeover, but she filled the makeup bag with tons of samples, and some ribbons as well.

Carefully, Allison removed the contents of the bag and stared at them, wondering what in the hell she was supposed to do with them. She wore makeup of course, but she'd been doing it for so long that she'd become accustomed to resembling an extra for the _Nightmare on Elm Street_ movies.

But things were different now. For the first time in her life, she actually had someone to look nice for. And that scared her.

She wanted so desperately to ask her mother for advice on how to put on makeup but she didn't dare. After the last beating, she knew better than to ask her mother for anything.

With a towel, she vigorously rubbed the mirror until it shone. Her hand shook slightly has she and then pulled the ribbon under her hair, tying it in a bow at the top of her head, the way she'd seen Claire do it.

Damn... That doesn't look anything like the way Claire had tied it on Saturday.

The more she tried to fix it, the worse it looked.

How lame.

"Allison! Get down here!" The shrill voice of her mother caused her to cringe.

With a sigh, Allison replaced the contents of the bag and put it back in its hiding place.

Her appearance would just have to wait.


	4. Chapter 4

"Whoo hoo! If it isn't the legend, the one and only Andrew Clark!"

Andy entered the boys' locker room to a round of cheers and applause from his team mates.

He tried to smile, but he just couldn't.

A week ago he would have relished this attention from the guys, and perhaps it would have motivated him to think of an even better prank to pull on an unsuspecting lower classman.

But now everything had changed. Wordlessly he pushed his way through the crowd of wrestlers and sat down on the bench. As he unwound a roll of tape, he was congratulated with high fives and slaps on the back for his courageous efforts.

"An-drew! An-drew! An-drew!" his team mates chanted when Andy began to tape up his knee.

He turned to Mike Rockford, who was lacing up his Nikes. "Hey, you seen Lester?"  
Mike shook his head. "Nah, man. He won't be back for a while."  
Andy was confused. "Why not? I figured he'd be in practice today."

"You mean you haven't heard?"

"Heard what?"  
"He's at Shermer General, man."  
Andy was taken aback. "The _hospital_? What the hell for?"

Mike started to laugh. "Oh my God, you really haven't heard, have you?"  
Andy rolled his eyes. "Did I stutter?"

Mike was such a scumbag.

"He's in surgery, thanks to you." Mike said, trying unsuccessfully not to laugh.

"_Me_? What are you talking about?"  
The group of wrestling buddies exploded with laughter.

"Damn it, if you don't tell me what in the hell you guys are talking about, I'll-."

When the laughter continued, Andy shot up off the bench, ready for a fight.

Michael put his hand on Andy's arm to restrain him.

"Chill, Clark! Don't freak out!" Michael said.

"I'll tell him." Mark Benson said, shushing the other guys who were still snickering. "Well, it appears that the incident in the locker room caused more damage to Larry than first thought." Mark explained.

Andy swallowed hard.

"What do you mean? I stood there and watched as they pulled the tape off!"

"The area got infected and they have to do skin grafts! Oh man, can you imagine having surgery _there_? I bet he won't be able to sit down for a year!"

Michael's booming laughter echoed throughout the locker room, causing Andy's blood to boil. Who in the hell did Michael think he was, laughing hysterically at something so terrible?

At that moment Andy not only felt more remorse than he'd ever thought possible, but he lost all respect for the group of guys he was now ashamed to call his friends.

He could feel his heart racing as he rolled the last bit of tape around his knee.

"All right, boys. Let's go!" Coach Wilson called from the doorway. "Practice in two minutes!"

"Flip practice..." Andy said under his breath.

Alone in the locker room, he closed his eyes and put his hand on his forehead. How could this have happened?

It was just a prank and he did it on a dare... all to please his old man.

Suddenly he was overcome with shame, and a familiar ache filled his chest. He took a deep breath, determined not to cry.

Who in the hell ever heard of a state champion wrestler crying? But as the tears came, he didn't care who saw him.

Damn them... Damn them all.

"Clark! Get in here! Practice has started already!"

"In a minute!" he yelled.

Coach Wilson stormed up to the bench, and Andy angrily wiped the tears away. "You'd better get your ass into the gym if you know what's good for you! Now move it, Clark!"

Andy watched as Coach Wilson walked back into the gym, muttering.

"Damn kids. I don't know why I've been doing this for so many years. What a waste."

"Moron." Andy said when Coach Wilson was out of sight.

He stood and picked up a basketball that was lying on the floor, throwing it as hard as he could. The ball ricocheted off of the wall, and sent a bin full of clean towels crashing to the floor.

As Andy walked back into the gym, he glanced at his team mates who were already hard at work.

Jerks...

As he scoped out the room, he suddenly wished that Larry would mysteriously appear. He had to find a way to apologize to the kid. But no matter how sincere an apology he gave, he knew it would never be enough to clear his conscience.

He needed to talk to someone, but only one person would understand.

Allison.


	5. Chapter 5

Allison got out of the car and slammed the door, mere seconds before it sped away.

"Thanks for the ride, Kyle!" she yelled.

Moron. She knew he was just pretending to be nice to get on Mom and Dad's good side. Not that he needed to. Their oldest son was their pride and joy. Allison was just an afterthought.

She walked up the stairs that led to Shermer High School; her stomach tied in knots. Why in the hell was she so nervous? It was just another ordinary day at school. Actually that was the understatement of the century.

As she entered the school, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the glass door. Her hair was a mess. The bow she'd so carefully tried to tie around her head was now hanging on her shoulder.

Walking to her locker, she was aware of the stares and whispers coming from a group of kids who were passing by.

Or was it just her imagination?

Whatever...

She should be used to it by now.

With a sigh, she walked into the girl's restroom and stared at herself in the mirror. God, she looked worse than ever! She untied the white ribbon and searched in her bag for her hairbrush. When she looked up, she gasped...  
For walking toward her was none other than the prom queen herself; Claire Standish.

Hidden from sight, she watched as Claire and her snobby cheerleader friends doused themselves in perfume and makeup.

"So how was detention?" Amy Gardner asked.

Claire shrugged. "Okay I guess."  
"Oh man, I would rather die than sit in detention all day."

"I still can't believe that Vernon punished you for that! Totally lame! You were just _shopping_ for God's sake!" Tina Morrison added.

"Yeah, I know. I just hope my mom doesn't find out. My dad was pretty cool about it." Claire said.

"Come on, let's get out of here." Amy said.

"You guys go on. I'll be there in a minute." Claire said.

Allison emerged from her hiding place. Now was her chance. Slowly she walked toward Claire, ready to ask her so called friend for makeup advice. She could hardly believe she was even doing this.

Claire stood, reapplying some sort of cotton candy pink lipstick and then stared at herself in the mirror.

It made Allison laugh, remembering the lipstick trick Claire had shown them on Saturday, and she was tempted to ask Claire to show her how it was done. But that could wait until later.

Just as she reached out and touched Claire's shoulder, Claire looked up and caught Allison's reflection in the mirror. Quickly, Claire spun around to face her.

"Can I help you?" She asked, as though she was a sales associate talking to a customer at the mall.

Allison grinned and waved. "Hi."  
"Hi." Claire said.

It was obvious that Claire had no idea who Allison was, and suddenly the realization that they may not be friends cut deeper than Allison thought was possible. However, she was determined to do this. After all, they'd been through a lot together, if only in one day.

"Can I ask you something?"  
"Sure." Claire said.

"Well, remember on Saturday when you did my makeup and tied this ribbon?" Allison asked, showing Claire the long white piece of fabric.

When Claire said nothing, Allison continued. "Um... I was wondering if you could help me again because I-."  
"Claire, what the hell?" Amy said as she flung the bathroom door open. "Why are you talking to this loser? Come on! We're gonna be late for Thompson's class and you know how ticked off he gets! Let's go!"

Claire turned and smirked at Allison before putting her lipstick back into her purse and following Amy out of the restroom.

_Damn..._

Alone in the bathroom, Allison looked in the mirror, determined to make herself look presentable. She quickly brushed her hair and pulled the ribbon around her neck, bringing it to her head and tying a large bow.

After rummaging through the makeup bag, she found some eye shadow, lip gloss and blush and began applying them ever so lightly. Finally some mascara and eye liner, which she applied much lighter than normal.

She stood back and admired herself, amazed at the results. Perfect! She didn't need any bitchy prom queen's help anyway.

She grabbed her books from the shelf and headed out into the hallway, en route to her first class.

Suddenly her heart caught in her chest when she looked up and saw Andrew, pulling some books from his locker. He tried unsuccessfully to balance them on his forearm, but they toppled and fell onto the floor and slid across the tile.

"Damn it!" he yelled, pounding his fist against the yellow locker, causing Allison to jump at the sound it made.

He bent down and began to retrieve the papers and books, cursing under his breath as students simply passed by, not caring if they stepped on his belongings.

She watched him for a minute, and smiled. Should she go over there and risk being rejected?

It was sure to happen.

But then she saw something in his eyes that she didn't think was possible; a pain so deep that it hurt her just to look at him.

Slowly she walked toward him, clutching her black shoulder bag. When she was mere steps away, she bent down and began to pick up the books that had made their way across the hall. She assembled them in a neat pile in her arms and handed them to him.

"Thanks." Andrew took the books but didn't even look at her.

"My pleasure." Suddenly deflated, she blinked back tears and turned to walk away when she felt his hand on her shoulder.

"Hey." He said with a smile.

"Hi."

He shifted his feet, obviously nervous. "So...How's it going?"

"Fine."

"That's good. Um... listen, I wanted to know..."  
"Clark! What's up, man?"

"Hey Jim. What's up?" Andrew said, flashing Jim a smile that definitely had no meaning. Allison had seen plenty of those in her lifetime.  
"Ready for the Van Halen concert this Saturday? Man, it's gonna be killer-awesome!" Jim exclaimed.

"I guess." Andrew replied with very little emotion.

"Dude, how could you not be psyched about it? They wail, man!"

"I-I should probably get going." Allison said to no one in particular.

"Yeah, me too. See you around." Andrew said.  
He slammed the locker door shut and walked away without another word.

"Hey!" She called to him.

He whirled around and looked at her.

"What were you going to ask me?"

He shrugged and glanced at Jim. "It wasn't important."

But as Allison looked at Andy's sad expression, she knew that whatever the question was, it was _extremely_ important.


	6. Chapter 6

_Real smooth, Clark... She's two feet away and you can't even bring yourself to talk to her. What happened to the honesty you shared in the library on Saturday?_

That all flew out the window when Jim had appeared. It was better to pretend that nothing had happened between them.

If he had just called Allison on Sunday like he'd wanted to, things would be different now.

His father had put a stop to that.

He was livid on Sunday morning when he noticed that Andy's State Wrestling Championship patch was missing. He'd grounded his son immediately (and for Andy that meant baring him from all things except for food and water); oblivious to the fact that Andy had already been grounded for the locker room prank.

_God, he hated that man..._

Across the cafeteria, he could see Allison sitting alone, eating God-knows-what for lunch. When he saw her this morning in the hallway he was amazed at the transformation. She looked even better than she had on Saturday, when Claire had fixed her up.

_Just go to her. What are you waiting for? _

"How's it going, Clark?"

Andy looked up to find himself surrounded by Mike Rockford and Mark Benson. He shifted uncomfortably on the hard metal chair, trying his best to ignore them.

"What's the matter, Clark? Still feeling guilty about what happened to Lester? Don't worry... he'll live. Although I doubt he'll be able to sit for a while!"

"Go to Hell, Mike." Andy said, focusing his attention on Allison.

"You know, I hear that Lester's dad is pretty ticked about this whole thing, so you'd better watch out." Mark added.

Anger flared inside of Andy, but he was determined not to lose his temper. The last thing he needed was another Saturday in detention.

"Yeah, Clark." David Maxwell added as he sat down in the seat across from Andy. Larry's old man is ticked because he's tired of having to explain to everyone why his son can't sit down!"

The three wrestlers exploded into hysterical laughter, making Andy's blood boil. It was all he could do not to waste them.

"Clark, what gives, man?" Mike asked.

"You some kind of pansy? What do you care about that lowlife, Larry Lester? The kid's a loser! You're a hero for what you did! You should be proud!"

Dave and Mike began to chant, whoop and holler, causing the students in the cafeteria to join in.

Andy felt his face burning and he stared at his Nike's, afraid to make eye contact with anyone.

Then to his horror, Mark stood and raised his left hand high in the air, causing the cafeteria to fall to a deafening silence.

"Ladies and gentleman, I have an announcement to make. My man Andrew Clark here has done something no other student in the history of Shermer has done before. He's a legend... and he owes it all to Larry Lester! Let's have a round of applause, shall we?"

The cafeteria erupted in cheers and applause; students stomping their feet and pounding the tables in unison while chanting his name.

"Clark! Clark! Clark!"

Andy caught a sympathetic glimpse from Brian who sat opposite a lanky kid in a red shirt. At least someone in this school was concerned about him.

Then to his surprise, Allison rose from her seat and marched over to his table, stopping just inches away from his teammates.

"Leave him alone!" She ordered.

Gasps of surprise and then laughter filled the cafeteria.

"Who's gonna make us, Loser?" Mike asked. He focused his attention on Andy again and began to chant "An-drew "An-drew!" until the cafeteria joined in once more.

"Did you hear me? I said LEAVE ANDY ALONE!" Allison yelled.

The chatter died down to silence once more, except for hushed whispers.

"Whoa, Clark." Dave said. "You sure can pick them! You went from head cheerleader to... well whatever _this_ is."  
Scattered laughter followed.

"I think you should be nominated in the yearbook for _Athlete with the world's ugliest girlfriend_ don't you, Mike?"

"You son of a..." Andy started to lunge for Mike, but thought better of it. He daringly glimpsed at Allison who had tears in her eyes.

"You're an ass." Allison whispered to Dan.

"Butt out, Bitch!" Dave yelled.

"Just leave Andy alone! He feels bad enough about what happened!" Allison said.

Consumed with anger, Mike grabbed Allison by the hair, causing gasps to be heard throughout the cafeteria. And then to Andy's horror, Mike shoved Allison as hard as he could, which caused her to fall.

Andrew stood to help her, but was restrained by the force of Dan, Mike and Mark who were holding his arms.

Brian jumped from his chair and rushed to help Allison.

The cafeteria door opened with full force and Vernon burst in.

"What in God's name is going on in here?"  
"Just trying to keep Clark here out of trouble, Sir." Mike said. "He was trying to attack that poor... girl."

Vernon was unimpressed. "All right. Just keep it down in here. I've had complaints from the teachers that the ruckus in here is disrupting their classes. I don't want to have to come down here again and hand out detention slips."

Without another word, Vernon walked out of the cafeteria and the students resumed their normal chatter.

_Lowlife jerk Vernon._

Andy watched as Brian helped Allison to her feet and with his arm around her, escorted her out of the cafeteria. Suddenly he wished like hell he could do something to help her. She didn't deserve this.

He rose from his seat with such force, that the metal chair clanged to the ground.

"Where ya goin' Clark?" Mike asked. "We were just havin' fun!"

But Andy was already walking out the door.


	7. Chapter 7

Allison was determined not to collapse in Brian's arms as he led her down the hallway. Her cheek throbbed with pain from the force of the fall. She'd landed face first on the cold tile of the cafeteria, and was the laughing stock of the student body once more.

"Come on, we're almost there." Brian said when they reached the nurse's office. He opened the door for her and ushered her inside.

"Sit here." he ordered.

Dutifully, she climbed onto the cushioned bench and lay down; her head pounding.

Brian walked around the tiny office, opening doors and peering inside.

"What kind of place is this? No medical staff of any kind! Totally unacceptable!" He said when he returned.

Allison swung her legs over the side of the bench and sat up, immediately feeling a rush of dizziness.

"I'll be fine. Thanks."

"Are you sure?" Brian asked, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder.

She nodded. "Yeah."

When the door opened, they looked up.

"Thank God." Andy said, rushing inside.

"Hey Andy." Brian said with a smile.

"Hey Man. Is everything all right?"

"I think she'll be okay, although I can't believe the school nurse is nowhere to be found." Brian said. "I'll see if I can find someone."

"I'll take it from here." Andy said. "Don't you have Shop class next?"

Brian laughed at Andy's subtleness. "Yeah, unfortunately. I wanted to quit, but my parents said that staying in for the rest of the year is punishment enough. Well, I'll see you later. Take care, Allison."

"Thank you." Allison said, smiling at Brian.

"Hey, Brian?" Andy said.

Brian paused in the open doorway. "Yeah?"

"Thanks for taking care of her, man."

"No problem, Andy."

Just then the bell rang, and Brian flew out of the room.

"Let's get out of here." Andy said to Allison. They slipped into the hallway, hidden by the swarms of students that rushed past them. He took her hand in his and pulled her through the crowd.

"Where are we going?" Allison asked.

"Somewhere that I hope Vernon won't be able to find us." Andy said.

They ducked into the darkened gym and Andy led her into the locker room.

"What if someone sees us?" Allison whispered.

"The team is at a meet, and the gym isn't used this period anyway. We'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Stay here, okay? I'll be right back."

She watched as he walked through the locker room, and disappeared around the corner. Suddenly she was terrified.

What if this was all a set-up? She'd heard about things that had happened to girls at other schools when the popular guys started paying attention to girls like her. She sank down on a bench; her heart racing beneath her chest, as a chill ran through her body.

True to his word, Andy returned moments later carrying something in his hand.  
"What's that?" She asked, trying to keep the fear from her voice.

He sat down beside her. "Just relax."

To her amazement, he unfolded a small towel and dropped some ice cubes into it, and then wrapped the towel securely. Ever so gently, he brushed a lock of hair from her forehead and put the towel against her bruised cheek, causing her to flinch.

"I-I'm sorry." He whispered, pressing the towel gently to her cheek. "I know it hurts."

"I'm sorry." She said. Tears sprang to her eyes at the sweet gesture. No one had ever been so kind to her before.

"Don't be sorry. It was my fault. I'm the one who's sorry. No one has ever done anything like that for me before. "

She closed her eyes and felt Andy brush away a tear with his thumb. Then his lips touched her cheek in a feather-light kiss.

"Thank you, Allison."

He smiled at her and then ever so slowly, moved toward her until his lips began to caress hers in the most gentle kiss she could have ever imagined.

It was the perfect blend of passion and sweetness; the kind of kiss she'd dreamed of her entire life.

For the first time in her life someone truly cared about her, and she was happier than she ever thought possible.

"I love you, Andy." She whispered.


	8. Chapter 8

Andy stared at Allison in disbelief. So many times he'd said those words to a girl in the midst of a passionate moment, but rarely had he meant them.

Now for the first time in his life, he finally understood how powerful those words could be. He tried to reply but the words wouldn't come. Instead he brushed a fallen lock of hair from Allison's face and kissed her again.

Suddenly she looked away. "I'm sorry. I can't believe I said something so stupid. Just forget it ever happened."

"It's not stupid." Andy said quietly. "But can I ask you something?"  
She returned her gaze to his face.

"Sure."

"Did you mean it? You really love me?"  
"I don't know, I mean... I've never really said that to anyone before. I'm sorry..."  
"It's okay." He glanced at his watch.

"Oh jeez, we'd better get out of here. Vernon will kill us if he finds us in here."  
He brushed the back of his hand against her bruised cheek. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Allison smiled. "I'll be fine."

Andy took her hand in his. "Come on, let's go."

They walked out of the gym and into the swarms of students that filled the hallway. Within minutes, they reluctantly arrived at Andy's history class.

"Well, I'll talk to you later?"

"Yeah." Allison replied.

Andy leaned over to kiss her, but was caught off guard by Eric Norton who smacked him on the back.  
"Hey Eric."

"Clark! What's up man? You ready for the meet this Saturday? Too bad Coach Wilson banned you from the preliminaries today. We had a killer showing! You would have crushed those guys from Martin High."

Andy shrugged. "Well maybe this weekend."

Although truthfully he didn't care if he ever wrestled again.  
Out of the corner of his eye, he locked eyes with Allison and suddenly he felt guilty for abandoning her for his jerk friend.

"Look, Eric... I have to go, okay? Later man."

When Eric disappeared, Andy pushed his way through the crowd, trying to make his way toward Allison. But it was too late. She had already vanished into the sea of students.

Mr. Simmons walked to the front of the room and instructed his students to open their books to Chapter 18. Then he began his endless chatter on the day's lesson. Who cared about what went on in the 1800's? Andy certainly didn't.

He leaned back against the hard plastic chair and closed his eyes, bringing images of Allison front and center.

Had she really meant what she said?  
Did she really love him?

Something told him that she hadn't meant to blurt it out, but it seemed so sincere that he couldn't help but wonder...

Suddenly the thought that someone could love him was scarier than he ever imagined.

And even scarier... what if he didn't love her back?


	9. Chapter 9

Allison stared at her History book until she was blue in the face, finally realizing that she hadn't read a single word.

As usual, her parents were oblivious to it all. She could crawl out of her bedroom window and run away and they wouldn't even notice. Sometimes she wished she had followed through with her original plan; to run away and never come back.

If Mr. Simmons hadn't caught her spacing out in Economics and sent her to Principal Vernon's office, she could have hitchhiked all the way to Cincinnati by now. Instead she was sentenced to a Saturday in detention.

The thought made her smile.

Now as she sat gazing into the night sky through her bedroom window, all she could think about was Andy.

Butterflies swarmed inside her chest. How could she have been so stupid saying _I love you_? She'd never said those words to anyone before; not even her family.

And not surprisingly the feeling was mutual.

At first she was horrified saying something so sentimental to a guy that she'd only met days earlier. But he was so gentle and sweet that the words just tumbled out.

When she realized what she had done, she was sure she had blown it. Instead Andy had kissed her; a kiss that was sweeter than she could ever imagine.

But deep down, something still bothered her. Every time she looked into Andy's eyes, she saw the pain that he was trying so hard to hide. There had to be a way to get him to open up to her.

Her mind drifted back to that fateful moment, when she'd said "I love you."

Had she really meant it?

Honestly, she wasn't sure she even knew what love was. But if it was caring, tenderness and sweetness like Andy had shown her; chances are she was falling in love.

Suddenly she found herself wondering if Andy felt the same.

No way.

She believed his sentiment and caring were genuine, but no way would he ever love a girl like her. He was just hurting and once she helped him through that pain, he'd move on to the next girl.

It happened all the time with these sporto types. The thought should upset her but instead it made her smile.

No one had ever truly loved her before, and even if it was only temporary she knew that it must be the most wonderful feeling in the world.


	10. Chapter 10

Andy walked into the house and tossed his duffle bag onto the floor. Damn that Coach Wilson; making him do 500 push ups for skipping the wrestling meet. The moron even threatened to call his father.

Go for it.

The old man could use a bit of excitement in his boring life anyway. Seems he had nothing better to do than to ride his son about being the best.

As if on queue, his father appeared. Great, just what Andy needed; another lecture.  
"Hey Dad." Andy said, wondering why he had chosen that moment to try to be civil with his father.

"You got a call while you were out. Some girl."

At the word "girl", Andy looked up. Could it be?

"Did she leave a number?"  
His old man handed him a piece of paper. When Andy glanced at what was written, he couldn't help but smile.

_Allison 555-9896_

"You know her?" his dad asked.

"Yeah." Andy replied.

"Well who is she?"

"Just a girl I've been seeing." Andy said.

"Wait... is this that girl that you were kissing when I came to pick you up on Saturday?"  
Andy looked into his old man's eyes and smiled.

"That's the one."

"You can't be serious. Her?"  
His father's reaction caught Andy off guard.

"Yeah, why? Is there a problem?"  
"What happened to Meredith?"

Andy looked at his father in disbelief. "Meredith Taylor? Dad we broke up months ago!"

Sometimes his dad was so clueless.  
"Why? She was perfect for you!"

"For you maybe. Just because a girl is athletic and on the drill team doesn't mean I automatically have to date her."

"So what happened?" his father asked, apparently choosing to ignore his son.

"I dumped her." Andy said.

"What the hell for?"

"Dad, she cheated on me with Brad Livingston, the quarterback. Don't you think that's reason enough?"  
"Well, I just think you're wasting your time with this Allison person."

Andy shifted his feet; his anger rising dangerously to the surface. If this conversation continued much longer, he was sure he would blow his top. He was famous for it.

"Since when do you have the right to tell me who to date?"  
"What do you know about this girl?"

"Enough."  
"But what could you possibly have in common with her? She looks like she comes from a family of drug-."

"Don't you talk about her like that, you understand?" Andy yelled. "She and I have more in common than I'll ever have with you!"

"So you're gonna date this girl, not giving any concern about what your friends think?"  
"Forget them! They're all losers anyway." Andy said.

"But why this girl?"

"Dad, I love her!"

The room was eerily silent, and Andy was stunned at his own words.

"Love? You love her? You're only 18, how could you possibly know what love is?" his father yelled.

Andy's blood boiled and that moment he hated his father more than he ever thought possible. He moved toward the old man, standing just inches from his face.

"No Dad, YOU'RE the one who doesn't know what love is!"  
"Is that so?"

"Dad, in the past week, Allison has shown me more care and concern than you've shown me in my entire lifetime. So don't start that crap with me. I'm sorry I'm not the perfect son, but you're just going to have to deal with it. And by the way, I'm through with wrestling."

"What was that?" His father yelled.

Andy rolled his eyes. Leave it to the old man to go ballistic over something as stupid as wrestling. He was sure that if he would have said that he was moving to Siberia, his father would have been more understanding.

"You heard me. I'm done."

The old man walked toward his son, stopping just inches from his face. "I don't _ever_ want to hear you talk about quitting again, do you understand? Now go to your room!"

Andy almost laughed. He hadn't been sent to his room since he was in the sixth grade.

Instead he smiled. "With pleasure."

He grabbed his bag and walked up the stairs to his room, slamming the door so hard that the walls shook.


	11. Chapter 11

Allison sighed. It had been almost fifteen hours since she'd called and still no word from Andy. She remembered how nervous she was when she'd picked up the phone to call him, making sure that no one was around.

Especially that lowlife Kyle. He made fun of her enough. He didn't deserve to know that she was calling a boy. No telling what he'd do with that information.

Over and over she'd rehearsed in her mind what she was going to say when Andy called her back. He was sure to ask why she'd called in the first place and how she'd gotten his number.

The number part was easy; she'd called every _Clark_ until she found the right one. Talk about embarrassing. She must have gone through a dozen pages in the Shermer Illinois phone book until she'd found the right one. Who knew there would be that many Clark's in such a lame city?

The phone had rung about ten times and just as she was about to hang up, a man with a gruff voice answered.

Wow, Andy wasn't kidding about his father. The man barely gave her a chance to speak before asking her if she was calling about a scholarship.

Forgetting everything she'd rehearsed before, she mumbled her name and phone number and told his father to give the message to Andy. Without waiting for a response, she hung up; her heart racing beneath her chest.

She'd stupidly stayed up all night, waiting for the call that she knew would never come. After seeing him so upset by his locker the other day, she was worried. She just wanted to thank him for being so sweet to her in the gym.

Almost instantly, her hand went to her cheek. The bruise had begun to fade and was now a disgusting brownish green color. When she'd fallen in the cafeteria, it felt as though her cheekbone had exploded with pain.

Brian had rushed to her side and although it was a sweet gesture, she was strangely relieved. It meant that she finally had a true friend.

Now as she walked through the doors of Shermer High School, she had to find a way to talk to Andy.

As if by fate, she spotted him in the hallway, struggling to open his locker. Slowly she walked toward him.

"Hey." She said, unable to ignore the warmth that filled her heart. She thought that was just something people wrote in romance novels. She had no idea that a person could cause that kind of emotion.

"Hey." He responded flatly.

"I tried to call you the other day."

"I know."  
Silence.

"Um... so why didn't you call me back?"  
"Just busy, I guess."

His curt answer caught her off guard.

"Oh... Well, I just wanted to see how you were doing. And to thank you."  
"I'm fine, okay?" He snapped.

"Sure."

She was about to turn and leave but thought better of it. Instead she moved closer.

"So did you want to talk? Because I think-."

"I don't care what you think, Allison! Leave me alone!"

She stood there in stunned silence, watching as he grabbed his books and slammed the door of his locker. A million emotions whirled inside of her, and tears were rising dangerously to the surface.

She knew it was just his anger talking, but his words cut deep into her soul. Determined not to cry, she swallowed hard.

"Well, I guess I'll see you around."  
She could feel him watching her as she walked away.


	12. Chapter 12

(Shermer High School Library)

"Do you believe that crap? So then she says to me- Clark, are you even listening to me?"  
Actually Andy wasn't listening, but that never stopped Roger Whitehouse. That guy could talk non stop.

"What?"  
"Jesus, Clark. What gives?"

Andy stopped scribbling on the desk, suddenly aware of the dark circle he'd drawn.

"What are you talking about?"  
"I've been trying to talk to you about Nancy. What's with you?"

"Nothin'." Andy said.

Angrily Roger rose from his chair. "Well, I've gotta go. See you around, Clark."  
"Later." Andy said to his so called friend.

Who needed that moron anyway?

He looked around the library which was unusually busy for 2 in the afternoon. Everywhere he looked he could see kids doing research, scoping out books or whispering to each other. He'd never really cared about this place before, but after Saturday, he knew he'd never think about it the same way again.

He rose from his seat; the one that Claire occupied on Saturday, and walked to the far back table.

Allison's seat.

He ran his hand over the wooden frame, as though touching the chair would bring her closer to him.

Crap.

What in the hell was he doing? Angrily, he made a fist and slammed it onto the table. The noise echoed throughout the library, causing conversations to stop and a few heads to turn.

"Is there a problem, Mr. Clark?" Mrs Jenkins asked.

The old bat. She'd been the librarian for eons. It was a wonder she could hear anything at all.

Wordlessly, he rose from the table and walked out of the library. God what had he done? Damn his old man. Last night's argument over Allison had done nothing but make him feel bitter.

What in the hell was he thinking, yelling at Allison like that for no reason? As soon as he snapped at her he immediately felt guilty. She didn't deserve to be treated that way. No one did.

He walked down the hallway, amazed to find that it was completely empty. Wearily he leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. When he opened them, he was shocked to find Bender there, smoking a cigarette. Suddenly he realized it was the first time he'd seen the jackass since detention on Saturday.

Bender turned and locked eyes with Andy, who quickly looked away. When he looked back at Bender, he could have sworn that he saw the beginning of a smile. He started to say something but he knew Bender would just deny it.

He sighed and gently knocked the back of his head against the wall, not caring about the pain it caused.

"Hey, you all right?" Bender asked.

Without warning, memories of the fight with his father returned, along with Andy's anger.

"What do you care?"

Bender smirked. "Well actually I don't."

Andy sighed. Jesus was this anger going to live inside of him forever? The guy was just trying to be friendly-if that was possible.

As Bender walked away, Andy forced himself to calm down. "Hey Bender, I'm sorry about that."  
"What?"  
"Snapping at you. I-I'm sorry, okay?"  
Bender shrugged. "Sure Sporto. See you around."

"Bender?"  
Bender turned around in surprise. "Yeah?"  
"Have you... I mean, you haven't seen Allison around here have you?"  
"Um... yeah. I saw her just a little while ago. I think she was in the lecture hall."  
"Thanks."  
"Something going on between you two?"

"Not anymore."  
"What happened?"  
"It's a long story." Andy sighed.

"Your old man giving you hell again?"

Andy was amazed at how much he and Bender had in common. He never thought that would happen.

"Non-stop."

Bender smiled. "Yeah, I definitely know about that. Story of my life."  
"I'm sorry." Andy said, truly meaning it. "I mean... I'm sorry for assuming the worst about you on Saturday."  
"No problem. Happens all the time."

He thought for a moment. "Bender can I ask you something?"  
"Sure." Bender said.

Andy took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"The clock's ticking, Andrew." Bender said, pointing to the clock that hung from the ceiling.

"Was Allison... I mean, was she upset earlier? When you saw her?"  
"I didn't really notice." Bender said.  
Andy sighed. "It doesn't matter anyway. I'm sure she hates my guts, but I need to talk to her."  
"Well... good luck." Bender said.

Andy looked up in amazement. Bender was actually being _friendly_?  
"Thanks. That means a lot."

When Andy headed down the hallway for the lecture hall, he turned to find Bender smiling. Wow, so Bender actually had a heart, no matter how small. Wait until the guys hear about this.

But maybe he should just keep it between the two of them. Bender had a reputation to uphold.


	13. Chapter 13

The lecture hall was cold. Allison sat in a darkened corner, pulling Andy's blue hooded sweat jacket closer to her body. She shivered, wondering if the coldness was from the air conditioning (which was always turned up too high) or Andy's hurtful words that ran through her mind like a bad dream.

_I don't care what you think, Allison. Leave me alone._

What an idiot she was. For a few blissful days she was happy. For the first time in her life, she didn't feel lonely when she was at home being ignored as usual by Kyle and her parents.

She no longer dreaded going to school because she knew that Andy would be there. Finally after all these years, someone had paid attention to her.

Cared for her.

Maybe even loved her.

Who was she kidding? It had all been one big joke.

Andy was probably at wrestling practice with the other sportos, laughing their asses off about the totally weird girl in detention that fell for his lines, his charm, and his sweetness.

_Damn it._

The tears that she tried so hard to hold inside were now sliding down her cheeks.

Thank God she was alone. She didn't want anyone to see her like this.

Before Saturday, she had no idea what love was or what it felt like to care for someone. Now she felt as though her heart truly had died. And it was the most painful feeling that she could ever imagine.

When she looked up, she was horrified to see a figure standing in the shadows.

"Allison?"

Oh God... it was Andy.

"Go away."

"Allison please..."

"Are you deaf?" She said, much louder than she meant to. "I said get out!"

Andy sighed and looked away. "All right. I deserve that."

He turned and walked away and suddenly she realized that she was about to lose him.

"Andy?"

He stopped just short of the door and turned around. Wordlessly he walked into the dark corner, lowered the seat of the wooden chair and sat down next to her.

When he looked into her eyes, the pain that she had seen there before seemed to have increased. How was that possible?

She wanted so desperately to hold him but she didn't dare. Not when he had used her the way he had.

She tried to smile but instead a sob escaped and she buried her face in her hands. His arm slid around her shoulders and she felt him pull her close to his body; the softness of his sweatshirt caressing her tear stained cheek.

After a few minutes she sat up and looked at him; amazed when he brushed a lock of fallen hair from her face.

"I guess it's pointless to say that I'm sorry." He said quietly.

Her tears began anew and he brushed one away with his thumb. There it was... the sweetness that she'd grown accustomed to.

But it was all an act and she had to accept that. She tried to speak but could only nod.

Another sigh. "I was stupid."

Slowly she looked up. "Yeah, you were."

She almost smiled when he appeared hurt by her answer, and nodded in agreement.

"I-I don't know what to say that will make it right." He whispered.

Allison was torn. She wanted him to stay; to love her and care about her, but deep down she knew that it wasn't real. And she didn't think she could take that kind of hurt again. When he stood she grabbed his arm, forcing him to sit back down.

"Can I ask you something?"  
"Yeah."

"Why?"

He was silent for a long time. "I had a fight with my old man last night."  
"What about?"

More silence.

"Andy?"

"About you. He doesn't think we should be together but I told him that he was wrong."  
"You did?"  
He nodded. "I-I told him that I love you."

Allison gasped silently, and her heart beat faster.

"What?"

"He said I didn't know what love is because I'm only 18, but that's where he's wrong."

She swallowed hard. "So is that why you were using me? To impress your sporto friends?"

He appeared taken aback. "Is that what you think?"  
Silently she nodded.

"That day in the hallway I wanted to talk to you so badly and that jerk Jim showed up. I should have just made him leave, but I... I was afraid. I-I really need to talk to someone, Allison. I can't keep this bottled up inside or I'll explode. See, my old man, he brings things out in the open, but I'm not like that. I'm not very good at expressing my feelings.

Allison smiled. "So I've noticed."  
"Yeah, you pointed that out before, didn't you? That I can't think for myself." Andy said with a chuckle.

"Look, I understand if you want to be alone or don't want to see me anymore, but I just want you to know that I love you. I would never use you and any jackasses that have a problem with us being together can just go-."

Without waiting for him to finish, she pulled him into her arms and kissed him.

When the kiss ended, she was disheartened to see that his sad expression was still there.

He sighed again. "I'm so sorry I hurt you. I was just..."  
"Hurting?" she asked, smiling when his shocked expression told her she was right.

"Yeah, but how..."  
"What's wrong?" She asked, running her fingers through his hair.

Another sigh. "I just... I feel guilty you know?"  
"About what?"  
"Larry. The guy on the wrestling team that I humiliated in front of everyone."  
"And got detention." She finished.

"Yeah. Well, it turns out that I did more than just humiliate him. He got an infection and I don't know when... or if... he's going to get better. He's in the hospital."  
She knew he expected her to laugh, but instead she caressed his face. No wonder he'd been hurting so much.

"I can't apologize for that. There's no way. I mean what if he never gets better? What if he gets cancer? What if..."

When his voice broke, she took him in her arms and held him tightly. Her hand ran up and down his back, trying desperately to calm him.

"It'll be okay, I promise. It wasn't your fault."

When he pulled away, she saw tears glistening in his eyes.

"You're really special, you know that?"

Allison smiled. "I love you, Andy. That's crazy isn't it?"

He leaned his head against hers. "No, actually it's not."  
"Really? Why?"

He kissed her. "Because I love you, too."  
They kissed again, more passionately this time.

"ANDREW CLARK!"

The booming voice startled them apart. They looked up and Allison froze when the lights came on and Vernon stood just feet away from them, his arms folded across his chest.

_Oh crap..._

Andy stood and faced Vernon; Allison obediently following.

"What in God's name is going on in here?" Vernon yelled.

Allison's answer came out in a squeak.

"It was my fault, Sir. You see, she was hurting and..."

"Oh, I see. So you took it upon yourself to take her into the lecture hall and have your way with her."  
"No Sir, absolutely not!" Andy said. "I just..."

Allison smiled at his honesty.

"Actually it was my fault." Allison said. "We had a fight and I wanted to be alone so I came in here. He just happened to find me."

"And who are you again?" Vernon asked.

_Some principal he was. Didn't even know the names of his students!_

"Allison Reynolds." She said, trying not to smile.

"Well, Miss Reynolds and Mr. Clark... In case you didn't know, student affection is banned on high school grounds. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal." Andy said with a smirk.

"I'm glad you think this is funny, Andrew. Maybe after you've both spent your Saturday in detention, you'll think twice about sneaking around on school grounds. Now get to your classes!"

Andy and Allison walked out of the lecture hall and into the hallway. When they were safely out of Vernon's view, they stopped by a row of yellow lockers.

Andy smiled at Allison. "Well, my old man's gonna hit the roof when he hears about this, so I probably won't be able to call you for a while."

"I understand." Allison said.

"See you on Saturday?"

Allison grinned. "I can't wait."


	14. Chapter 14

(Saturday Morning)

Andy couldn't help but smile when the car slowed to a stop in front of the school.

"You think this is funny?" His father snapped. "You've just ruined any chances you'll ever have of getting a scholarship! I told you before; no school is going to give a scholarship for discipline case."

_Here we go again..._

Wordlessly, Andy grabbed his large grocery bag lunch and climbed out of the car.

Damn his old man.

The car sped away and he stood for a moment on the sidewalk, hoping for any glimpse of the woman he loved. He knew it was crazy, but he'd spent the past night in a restless sleep, unable to get Allison out of his mind.

God he'd missed her.

It had been less than two days since he'd last seen her (thanks to the punishment from his father), unless glimpses of her in the hallway and cafeteria counted.

A beat-up car approached, stopping just inches from where Bender was crossing the street.

And then he saw her.

The weather had gotten warmer and Allison no longer wore that hideous coat with the fake fur lining. Instead he was amazed to find that she had on a red cardigan sweater over a white t-shirt and black skirt. But something else was different; something he couldn't quite figure out.

A beam of sunlight hit her head and suddenly he knew...

In place of her messy (but adorable) dark hair was a lighter shade of brown, mixed in with red highlights.

My God she was gorgeous...

Just the sight of her took his breath away.

Allison got out of the car and almost instantly it drove off, leaving her standing alone in the street. Andy watched as she walked toward the school, smiling when she saw him.

It was all he could do not to take her hand and walk in with her, but he couldn't risk getting her into trouble. Instead he followed her into the school and headed straight for the library.

He walked inside, amazed to find that it was empty. He sat in the same seat he'd sat in last Saturday. For some reason it felt like "home".

A few minutes later, Bender walked in; stopping to shove a few books off the counter. When he saw Andy, he nodded in greeting and took his usual seat in the back.

Andy snickered. Bender had been in detention so many times that his chair probably had a plaque with his name on it.

After what seemed like an eternity, Allison walked through the door and smiled shyly at him. He had to fight like Hell to resist the urge to reach out and take her hand as she passed by. She picked the same seat she had last Saturday, and when Andy turned to Bender he couldn't help but smile.

Bender's eyes were as wide as saucers, amazed at Allison's new look.

_Hands off, Bender. She's mine._

At precisely 7am, Vernon walked through the door and Andy rolled his eyes.

"Well, well, well... we meet again. How appropriate. Three members of... what's it called again? The Breakfast Club? You may think you pulled something over on me, but you are sorely mistaken."

"How's it goin', Rich?" Bender said. "Still have that Barry Manilow wardrobe?"

Andy had to put his hand over his mouth to keep from laughing and he noticed that Allison chose that moment to put her hands over her face.

"We'll discuss that next Saturday, okay Bender?"

"Sure thing." Bender replied, winking at Andy.

"Watch it, Bender. You'll be in here for life if you don't watch it!" Vernon yelled.

"Thanks for stopping by!" Bender yelled as Vernon stormed out of the library.

Seconds after Vernon was gone, Andy saw Bender rise from his chair and sit down next to him at the table.

Trying desperately to ignore Bender, Andy stared at his Sports Illustrated magazine, until the article about the Chicago Bulls blurred across the pages.

"Hey." Bender said.

Andy shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I'm in enough trouble already, Bender. Any more and my dad will probably send me to jail. I wouldn't put it past him. Why don't you go back to your seat?"

Bender nodded toward Allison. "Why don't you go over there and talk to her? You know you want to."

"Oh yeah? And how would you know that?" Andy snapped. "What are you, a psychic?"

"No, but I've seen the way you two look at each other. I'm not stupid. I've looked a few girls myself that way. Unfortunately most of them never returned the favor."

Andy stared at Bender, shocked that this moron was actually trying to help him. He glanced at Allison, suddenly overcome with the urge to kiss her.

"I don't know..." Andy said. "If Vernon walks in..."

"I'll take care of it." Bender said. He nudged Andy's shoulder. "Go on."

Andy looked Allison and slowly rose from the table. His heart pounded as he walked toward her, feeling like a kid with his first crush.

He stopped just inches from her, causing her to look up from her drawing and smile at him.

"Hey." Andy said shyly. "Mind if I sit with you?"

She looked at him thoughtfully. "We'd better not. That's how we got detention in the first place, remember?"

Andy grinned. "Oh yeah... I remember."

Allison blushed at the memory. "We shouldn't..."

"May I?" Andy asked, pointing to the chair.

"Okay." Allison said.

He sat down next to her, and smiled when her sweater brushed against the sleeve of his University of Illinois sweatshirt.

Casually he reached down and took her hand, lacing his fingers through hers. "I wish I could kiss you." He whispered.

Allison's face lit up and her breath caught in her throat.

"You look beautiful, by the way." He said, noticing that the comment brought tears to her eyes.

"Thank you." She whispered back. "I did it for you."

Andy was touched beyond words. He wanted to say _thank you_, but she might take it to mean that he only found her attractive when she changed her appearance. He may have been that way last week, but since he met Allison, things had definitely changed for the better.

Instead, he brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it.

"Psst!"  
Andy looked up to see Bender, motioning to him.

Great. Vernon was back.

Andy caressed Allison's hand with his thumb and then reluctantly slid his hand out of hers. He went back to his seat and sat down just seconds before Vernon walked into the library and scanned the room.

Andy almost laughed he turned and saw Bender sitting with his elbows on the table, and his hands clasped as though he were praying.

Talk about ironic.

Once the coast was clear, Andy stood and walked over to Bender's table.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Bender nodded.

"Um, listen... don't let this go to your head but thanks for everything, okay?"  
"No problem." Bender said.

There was an awkward silence before Andy spoke again.

"So how's it going with Claire?"  
Bender looked at Andy, incredulous.

"What? Did I say something wrong?"  
Bender looked away a little too quickly. Something was up.

"What happened?"  
Bender shrugged. "I was right the first time. Claire is a bitch. I don't know why I wasted my time."

"That's too bad." Andy said, for lack of something better to say.

Bender turned to him. "Are you kidding me? I was happier than a guy with front row seats to the Stones when I dumped her!"

Andy laughed. "Well, I'm glad to see you're okay with it!"

After a few minutes, Andy walked back to his seat and sat down, unable to stop himself from staring at Allison. When she caught his glance and smiled at him, he could contain himself no longer.

With one fluid motion, he rose from the chair and went to her...

Startled, she looked up from her drawing. Andy took her hand and gently pulled her to her feet.

"Andy? What..."

He stared into her eyes, and then gave her a lingering kiss.  
"Andy! Pssst!" Bender hissed.

Andy glanced over to see Bender motioning to him.

"Vernon's coming!" Bender mouthed.

Bender's face registered surprise when Andy ignored him and kissed Allison again.

"Clark, didn't you hear me?" Bender said loudly. "Vernon will kill you if he sees you! Are you willing to risk it?"

When Andy continued to kiss Allison, Bender smiled.

Maybe true love really was worth the risk.

The End

**(A/N. I know that I didn't really write Allison in true character, but this is how I would have liked her to turn out! Thanks so much for reading and your reviews! )**


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